The Abrupt Ending To Our Vacation

You can see from all the posts and pictures below (yes, I know I kinda went overboard on the pics! But you should be used to that by now!) that we had a great and much overdue family vacation! I am so very thankful for every minute of it! But not so much for the way it came to a screeching halt. Let me explain; on Monday, my very first day back to work after taking an entire week off for the first time since I'd starting working over a year ago. Getting to spend a wonderful week with my Husband & kids in a great hotel, seeing the sights of Hollywood, and spending days at Disneyland, The Beach, and Universal Studios. I was still glowing in the after affects of relaxation & fun! (Well, okay maybe that was just the Sunburn & sore legs!)

I got a phone call from my district manager. It went something like this: after finding out how wonderful my time off was, and how the store held up without me, she said something along these lines: I'm so sorry, but the company is closing. Basically we have 60 days to liquidate our entire merchandise and to close all stores and our online business. We are going public in a few days. She had just found out the week before & was letting all the managers know now. But she wanted me to know she would always give me a "Stellar" recommendation! (I love that she chose that word!) :)

I knew right then sadly, that yep, Vacation is over! :( I got a hold of my 4 employees right away to see if everyone could come in the next morning for a staff meeting. And I let them know what was going on with the company. One girl I had just hired & trained the week before I went on Vacation. One is a newly wed. One is working hard to save up money to buy a much needed new car, & two of these girls are just starting college! We had put together a great team. Everyone likes working together (and with young girls there is bound to be drama from time to time, but we hadn't really had any of that with this crew) I let them know the company terms for receiving severance & that I would give each of them great recommendations as they look for new jobs too. (I'm just not hip enough to use the word Stellar, though I love it!) They were sad, & we decided we would put together a group resume' & all get hired together! So if you know of anyone looking for a manager and 4 associates, let us know! :)

But, unfortunately it didn't stop there. That saying "when it rains it pours" comes to mind right about now! That very same day, our first day back from Vacation remember, my husband John found out at his staff meeting, that our church's finances are not doing well. So much so in fact that they aren't sure how long they can continue to pay all the staff. And John of course was the last Pastor hired, so it's hard to hold out Hope that things will turn around.

This comes after a very long & hard year for us. We walked, very painfully, through a church split, at the end of which all remaining support staff was let go, to give the church a chance at a fresh start. We prayed then to be able to stay in Arizona for Zach to finish his senior year of High School, which he was in the middle of. And God provided Life Church. Well, Zach is now out of High School, and it looks like we will be looking for a new position once again. But a move out of state means most likely leaving our boys here as they are both in College now & changing would mean paying much more for their schooling. It's doable, though heartbreaking for us all.

I'm so glad I didn't know about any of this before we went on Vacation, because just knowing one circumstance would have most likely made us chose not to go (let alone both!) & we really needed it! But it was a rude awakening to say the least. Finding out in one day that we could very well be going from a two income family to a zero. So please be praying along with us for God's guidance & provision as we seek His will for our lives. I am scared and stressed to my limit, which for me often means dealing with migraine headaches, and the blurriness to my eyes they bring, yet with everything going on with my store, still having to go to work everyday.

If it weren't for the financial aspect of this & not knowing how we're going to make ends meet in the future, I would be kinda excited to see whats next. I'm one of the rare people who actually likes change. And God has proven time & time again that He is faithful. If you know of any Churches looking to hire an awesome Worship Pastor that rocks, please let us know. (I'm not prejudice at all BTW!) You can see for yourself on John's Web site here. I will keep you posted as to what unfolds for us, please keep us in your prayers. Thank you my friends.